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Origins President Jane Lauder and Shameless actress, Emmy Rossum, welcomed attendees to the launch celebration of Origins Smarty Plants, a CC SPF 20 Skin Complexion Corrector. The event, held last month at Jimmy, on the rooftop of The James Hotel in Soho, was created to benefit Charity:Water, an organization which strives to bring an end to the global water crisis.

Lauder explained that Origins had partnered with Charity:Water to emphasize how important it is “to not only look good, but to do good as well.” The initiative, whose tagline reads, “It’s smart to do good,” explains that $30 provides one person in Ethiopia with clean drinking water. Further, Origins and #Smarty Plants are striving to correct the global water crisis with a fund raising mission. For those donating $30, Origins will match the first 1,000 pledges. With $30,000 raised, 1,000 people will receive clean drinking water. The amount of $30 provides one person in Ethiopia clean drinking water for up to 10 years.

The mission, according to Lauder, will enable this increasingly scarce resource to improve the lives of many who currently suffer from an inadequate water supply, and endure hardships to obtain their water. In her introduction to host, Rossum, Lauder said that to support their initiative, “We wanted to find someone with beauty and brains, so we partnered with Emmy Rossum.”

Rossum, a supporter of the cause, as well as the brand, said, “I do love Origins and I’ve used it since I was a kid. I also love Charity:Water, and have always been involved in charity work. When I heard about bringing clean water to Ethiopia, I wanted to be part of the project.”

Standing next to the pool on the rooftop of the hotel, it was clear that we do often take our water supply for granted. Said Rossum, “To watch these kids walking five miles to get their water really touched me.”

Charity:Water Clarifies Its Mission

According to Viktoria Harrison, creative director, Charity:Water, there are three platforms to the new Origins Smarty Plants product, and these three directly correspond to the goal of the Charity:Water organization.

“These elements are to correct, hydrate, and add radiance,” she said. She told the story of a woman in Ethiopia, named Helen, who walked 10 miles to get water to carry to her family. “Helen always put herself last and took care of her family first,” explained Viktoria. However, she said, Helen’s world took a positive turn when accessible, clean drinking water became available. She quoted Helen as saying, “After the water project came into my valley, for the first time I feel beautiful.”

Correcting, hydrating and creating radiance, clearly became the correlation for Helen in terms of her life, according to Viktoria. “The sense of radiance that Origins provides in their products is a direct link to the outcome for these women in Ethiopia,” she said.

The party with a purpose continued on into the evening, with DJ Hannah Bronfman providing music for the launch. Products were passed around on trays for attendees to sample, and their environmentally sensitive ingredient profile complemented the evening’s mission. Utilizing an Intuitive Delivery System technology that is said to trigger skincare benefits based on environmental cues, the new Origins Smarty Plants™ CC SPF 20 Complexion Corrector offers an advanced approach to counter the effects of age-accelerating skin damage.

According to statistics from the State of the Air project, two in every five Americans live in areas that have high levels of either ozone or particle pollution (www.stateoftheair.org/2012/key-findings). These factors can lead to a variety of skin concerns, including dehydration and loss of elasticity, speeding up skin’s aging process. Origins addressed that concern with Smarty Plants, a product said to help turn environmental stressors into skin protection, using S.M.A.R.T. technology (Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology). This was the approach adapted for the new Smarty Plants CC SPF 20 Skin Complexion Corrector.

The formula is said to recognize stimuli, including pollution, UV and ozone, and intuitively respond with time-released protection from age-accelerating skin damage. It features encapsulated actives that are released based on cues from skin and the environment. External triggers activate mechanisms that release targeted and personalized skin care benefits, providing three distinct processes that selectively protect, perfect, and correct skin.

System One is designed to protect and hydrate. The first process is triggered by exposure to UV, ozone and pollution, neutralizing their skin-damaging effects. Going beyond an SPF, receptor sites on the surface of key encapsulated ingredients react and transform when exposed to specific stressors. When the capsule walls rupture, they release age-fighting antioxidants from green tea to block free radicals, and vitamin C and E to help protect the skin from pollution and ozone. Algae is simultaneously released to convert oxidative stress from pollution to light hydration.

System Two perfects the skin’s surface texture with time-released encapsulated salicylic acid and chestnut extract. The smoothing ingredients are insulated inside a shell that gradually dissolves allowing skin to acclimatize over time without the potential side effects, creating a flawless-looking complexion.

System Three provides the corrective process. It is designed to instantly color correct blotchy, uneven skin. Plant-coated mineral pigments are mechanically released through physical pressure and adjust to match a wide range of skin tones. The encapsulates release pigments in two intuitive shades, light/medium and medium/deep, to create a seamless uniformity that adjusts to match all skin tones. The three processes are said to go beyond multitasking to color correct and brighten the skin, hydrate the skin while reducing the appearance of fine, dry lines, and create a radiant complexion. Suggested retail price is $35 for a 1.4 fl oz/40 ml tube. Additional information may be found at: www.origins.com.

Keeping the mission of Charity:Water top of mind, it was suggested that individuals wishing to Tweet their donations, use #donate #SmartyPlants or go to: http://www.my.charitywater.org/smartyplants, to help Charity:Water end the global water crisis.